Both the Raptors and Kawhi himself, though separated by the breadth of a continent, have something at stake, a chance to assert that they were the truly indispensable part of last year's triumph and win back-to-back chips. Read more »

We look at the trajectory of every team in the NBA in terms of how they rank in the category. Read more »

On the Celtics retooling with Kemba Walker, Brooklyn getting a pair of superstars, the Knicks' Plan B, Philadelphia supersizing their roster, and the Raptors keeping the title momentum going without Kawhi Leonard. Read more »

Vince Carter wasn't everything Toronto wanted him to be, but he was its first love. Like a lot of first loves, he was both singular and not enough, an unclipsable unit of measurement unto himself. Read more »

With so much turnover this offseason, and another exciting draft class, teams had lots and lots to say. Read more »

The safest claim about Kawhi Leonard's forthcoming decision is that it will be his own. Reverse engineering his decision beyond that will always be a guessing game. Read more »

The Raptors' summer isn't really all that complex. If Kawhi Leonard returns, they will contend for another title. If Leonard leaves, they'll start to pivot towards youth and building for the future. Read more »

By stopping two potential three-peats by two of the greatest would-be dynasties of the last decade, Kawhi Leonard has established himself as a giant killer, the NBA's version of those legendary dragon slayers of yore. Read more »

The Warriors may have run out of bodies, but the Raptors were, the whole time, failing to inspire the typical condescending adjectives we lend to underdogs. They were killers. Read more »

Kyle Lowry is beloved by basketball technocrats because he plays the game like they imagine they would. He's also a spectacular spaz. He and the Raptors have two more chances to make amends. Read more »

Beneath, around, and exactly at Kawhi's boring surface are multitudes. All he does is drain tough jumpers, lock down scorers, and mumble. Put another way, all the moon does is reflect the sun's light back at us. Read more »

The mark of Kawhi Leonard's spirit on the Raptors' Finals run is unmistakable. They are no longer any more prone to mental or spiritual lapses than any other title fighter; in fact, they are noticeably allergic to the psycho-emotional flights. Read more »

The Warriors are currently far from what you imagine when you hear their name or see their colors. Stephen Curry's Game 3 was heroically futile. Great players have limits and Toronto is too deep and skilled. Read more »

The variance in Pascal Siakam's play is hard to explain or make sense of, but he needs to find some semblance of stability, enabling the rest of the team to feel secure and to ensure that good games from other players do not go to waste. Read more »

The Warriors are going to perform their third quarter act more often than not. If the Raptors don't respond with panic and dread, at least they give themselves a chance. But life is sometimes cruel for no reason. Read more »

The symmetry is nice: in Toronto's first ever Finals victory- a long time coming in the sense that it's been 24 years of existence without a single trip to The Finals, longer-seeming due to their habitual postseason collapses- they relied on a pair of projects, one fading from stardom and one emerging into it, who took a circuitous route to top of their field. Read more »

Klay Thompson is too good to grace these power rankings but his luxuriousness to the Warriors gives him a unique pass, while the way Patrick McCaw has proven himself to be a man past surprise sneaks him onto the list as well. Read more »